A HOME, NOT A STATEMENT

It took this couple 30 seconds to say yes to buying their Matakana dream site, writes

A standout piece of land with views of the ocean deserves a standout house — and the temptation is often to go big. But Hamish Brown resisted that temptation after his architect gave him options.

“It was good to hear what he had to say because I like big, and instead we ended up with a house that was absolutely right,” says Hamish.

The house is still large at 364sq m but it fits seamlessly into the landscape, part of the brief he and his wife Anna gave the architect.

“We wanted an easy, comfortable home, not an architectural statement. It needed to look as if it was settled into the site, and it had to stand the test of time and not date.”

Hamish and Anna were living in St Heliers but dreamed of moving to Matakana. The dream came true inside 30 seconds when an agent showed them the 5ha property at 28 Ashton Rd.

“The land had the most amazing views,” says Hamish. “But there was something else about it too. “I don’t know what you’d call it. There was such a sense of peace — it was really special.”

They camped on the land for some time to get a feel for it, and then built a garage, in which they lived for a year. It gave them the opportunity to think carefully about the build.

“The house takes advantage of the views on both sides, it has a real sense of space, it’s warm, and it just feels like home,” says Hamish.

“We have decks on three sides, floor-to-ceiling windows and huge sliders, and we can open everything up.”

The living area contains the kitchen, dining and sitting room where wide planked floors add warmth to the pale coastal colour palette.

The space opens to a big, partly enclosed deck with a fireplace and plenty of room for entertaining. Adjoining the living room is a separate snug with its own fireplace.

There are four big bedrooms and four bathrooms in the main house, and a separate, self-contained guest studio tucked away in the garden.

Hamish and Anna know they’ll never replicate the property — which has a set sale date of August 29 — and that’s made the decision to sell difficult.

But they sold their business last year and asked themselves: “Is there anything else we’d like to do?’

The answer was yes. They’ve bought a yacht and are planning their next adventure.

“It was a huge emotional wrench to decide to leave the house,” says Hamish says, “but we’ve got other things we really want to do.” August 29 Dianna Coman, Bayleys, 021 790307